Boris — Heavy Rocks

Remember when people told you Rock was dead ? Remember when those very people told you five years later that Rock was alive and kickin’ (yeah, just listen to The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Vines...)? Well you have to understand that those people are pricks... Rock never died in the first place and is epitomised not by the aforementioned clean-shaven, clear-sounding tossers but by dirty and raw acts such as High on Fire or The Melvins. In that category, you’re not likely to get much better than Boris...

Heavy Rocks is their 4th full length album (not taking into account works with Merzbow or Keiji Haino and numerous splits) and their first to feature “proper” songs. Absolutego was a one-track (plus one bonus on the Southern Lord re-issue) drone opus, Amplifier Worship a 5-track sludgey droney doomy friggin’ heavy meisterwerk and Flood (review here), the almost post-ROCK record...  10 tracks and a guest-galore:  Lori (Acid King), Eddie Legend (The Mad 3), Komi (Abnormals), Maso Yamakazi (aka Masonna) and last but not least Masami Akita (aka – but do I really need to tell you?- Merzbow). An orange on orange package is there to prove that the amplifiers that Boris worships are the legendary Orange (and on the first track you hear a voice saying “slow down upon the heat of Orange”).

On to the music itself...  Some have called this album Boris’ stoner ROCK record, and that is true to a certain extent. Thing is, if stoner did really sound like this, I would be into the genre (and I’m not). Heavy Rocks smells ROCK’n’roll, garage, doom, experimental, noise and sludge but it is never undermining the unity of the album. It kicks off with Heavy Friends, a very heavy, loud, sludgy track reminiscent of the Amplifier Worship album, leading you to think these songs are like a shortened version of the said record. Everything changes with Korosu, the heaviest, ROCKiest track I have heard in a long time and certainly the catchiest thing Boris ever did. Wata’s leads are absolutely wonderful, the song makes me go ballistic any time I hear it... Dyna-Soar sounds like the logical extension to Korosu, as catchy and ROCKing but benefiting from Masonna’s analogue synth contribution. Wareruride is even heavier and Wata has loads of fun torturing our ears (well the chorus goes “Come on, feedback fever... Oh yeah!!!”). Then comes Soft-Edge, aptly titled as it is a very mellow piece, featuring mainly Wata soloing. One might link this track to some Flood moments. Things get back to normal with Rattlesnake. Aptly titled once more, this track will bite you and won’t let you go until you surrender to its magical power. Be ready to rock, scream and shout, trash down the place, kill your neighbours, whatever!!! Death Valley features nice glitchy sounds courtesy of Masami Akita but never forgets to ROCK. Nice drums, bass and glitches break midway through the song, orgasmic ending.  Koei is in the same vein as the rest of the album, not the most outstanding tune but still fucking good. And you know what? It ROCKs... Kane – The bell tower of a sign is the longest song on the album and is rather slow compared to the fast tempo’s of most songs. Album closer 1970 is not much faster but is louder and more distorted. And well, it still ROCKs...

Takeshi sings better than on any other Boris’ release, Atsuo hits his drums like a freak and Wata proves that she can use her guitar as well as anybody (oh God, those leads....). This album is unavailable outside Japan (only through expensive mail orders) and that is a shame. Boris should be everywhere, in the NME, in Q, in The Wire, in Terrorizer, in a venue near you... The fact is that they are not and it’s not likely to happen any time soon (except for those lucky enough to catch them on tour next April in the UK or those living in Japan).

Heavy Rocks, Boris ROCKs... need I say more????